Knowledge: The Present
by keynote
Summary: She wished the night would stay with her forever. "You'll be fine."


A poke.

"Ow."

Another poke.

"Ow."

A harder poke.

"Ow."

One more poke.

"Ow."

A smack.

"_OW!"_

Her head turned to face the Healer, her eyes narrowing into slits as the woman removed her hand from the wound. The woman smiled sheepishly before looking back at the girl's arm, placing the guaze on the spot that was bleeding. The girl rolled her eyes, then looked back up into the sky.

The stars were shining brightly, a few winking as the dark clouds rolled in front of them, blinding them. Letting out a lon held-in sigh, she closed her eyes, the wind brushing her hair across her face. As the silence of night filled her ears, a small smile spread across her face.

**_'Congratulations, Harry. You won.'_**

The line rang out in her head. Another sigh passed her lips, and she tossed her head, ridding her face of the nuisance called her hair. She held no resent towards him. In fact, she felt somewhat proud of him. He hadn't let their 'aquaintanceship' get in the way of what he wanted. That was something rarely found in honest wizards nowadays. And it was something that shouldn't be rare among them.

The Healer patted her arm, signaling her that she was done, before apparating away. She looked over to her arm, noticing that a small wrap that didn't even cover the whole guaze pad was bound tightly to her arm. A small red dot decorated it, and she knew she was still bleeding. But she honestly didn't take much notice. Her bleeding was to tell everyone that she lost. It was to signal that she was to wait longer. She was done for now.

Her eyes shut, allowing her mind to settle and rest at peace for a moment. Her lips parted to allow the fresh air to enter when she heard the grass rustle. Someone sat next to her, but she ignored the presence for a bit. When she finally did reopen, she didn't need to look to see who it was. She said nothing, only stared out at the stars again.

"I'm sorry," he said, resting his arms on his knees. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

She smiled, shaking her head. "Yes, you did Harry." At her words, he looked utterly shocked. She sighed, breathing out her nose, before shifting again. "You were offered a bit of knowledge of your past if, however cruel one might see it as, you could harm me."

"But that little bit of knowledge was all you needed to be pushed in to it. You see, you and I are a lot alike, Harry." His eyes bore into her, but still, she did not look directly at him. "I know, not the best thing to have hanging over your head, but it's true. We both share the desire to know more about our past. And, we both would do anything to find out even the littlest bit about it." She looked over at him, reaching her hand up and brushing his cheek with the back of her hand.

He did nothing to stop her, for she intruiged him. She knew so much about him, but had known him for such a little time. "I always thought you knew about your past. I mean, you talked so much about it."

She smiled, redirecting her eyes to the horizon in front of her. The smallest traces of dawn could be seen. "I talked about a dream. All my past has ever been is a dream. I know not of half of what I speak. All the adventures and stories I told of? All a dream." She sighed, closing her eyes as she did so.

A moment's silence followed suit, and her eyes opened, watching as the stars twinkled while they still could. He looked to what she was watching, and found himself interested by the stars as well. "You, you mentioned once before, that you saw my mother." She nodded the slightest bit. "How? If you're my age...."

"Like everything else, Harry. She was in my dreams. I didn't know until we fought. But it was her. Her green eyes pierced through the darkness of my nightmares, her voice and gentle words leading me back to the light." She let out a low laugh, as if it was amusing her, but hurting her at the same time. "For some unknown reason, she kept me safe. This far, that is. She may be gone now, but I honestly couldn't tell you. Because, you see, I've only seen her in my dreams, so until I have another one, I don't know if I'll see her again. And who knows when my next dream will come."

A silence followed her words, in which Harry pondered on them. It was like her entire life, her entire state of being was based around dreams. It was baffling, and he didn't know what to make of it. But if all of it was true, it made him wonder. It made him wonder; was she just a dream herself?

"When we were fighting, Harry, do you remember the moment out daggers locked? The moment our eyes met for the first time in ages?" She glanced at him, waiting for his response. He nodded, his eyes searching the ground in front of him. "You gripped my wrist, hard. I felt your father in that grip." His attention snapped to her, but once again, her eyes were not directed at him.

"I think he was the man in my dream, the one that grabbed my hand and pulled me back to solid ground. He kept me from getting away." A short silence. "Yes, I'm sure it was him now, because he shared your smile."

Harry smiled from instinct, but it still made little sense to him. "But why would you have dreams about my parents? Why not your own?"

She focused her eyes on the faded purple tinting the deep, royal blue of the night sky. It was slowly taking over, taking its place in the sky. Dawn would be upon them soon enough, and how she longed for the night to prolong. She wished the night would stay with her forever, hiding her in the shadows, keeping her from the future.

"I think it's because they have something in mind for me. I think, they might know what I'm meant for in life. My parents never even had a day with me. How could they know? They barely had time to name me before they died." Her voice broke off, and she closed her eyes tight. And for a moment, Harry thought she might cry. But as she slowly let her eyes open again, no sign of a tear could be seen.

"No, Harry, I can't cry. I never have cried, because I never knew how. I was left with so little in life, deprived of the most common of knowledge, that I just never learned how to cry." He shook his head at her words, not wanting to believe it. "Don't take pity on me, either. I don't need it. I've come this far, I've learned as much as I did."

Harry simply watched her, wondering how someone so young could be so old at heart. He knew just by watching her, that she had been through as much as he had. Maybe more, he wasn't sure. She hadn't opened up to him enough for him to know. "You won, Harry. Just remember that. When put to the test, you came through. You won. If you never remember anything but that, you'll be set."

He nodded, unsure exactly what she was saying. He picked up his hand, placing it gently on hers. He gently kissed her cheek, his lips fleetingly resting on her skin before withdrawing themselves as quick as they had come. "You'll be fine."

With that, he left, heading back to his friends to go home. She sat there, thinking over everything that had happened between them. The conversation, the interaction, the sharing. All of it had its meaning, all of it would come to play in their future. What it would bring about, she wasn't sure. But there was one thing she knew, and as she lifted her face to the stars, she smiled.

"I'll be fine."

* * *

A/N: There it is, the sequel to Knowledge: A Past. Hope it explains some, if not, leave a review (which I hope you do anyways) and I'll try.

--renee--


End file.
